The Fascinating Connection between the Archytas Pigeon and a Crater on the Moon

Jun 20

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What do a self-propelled bird made of wood and a crater on the moon have in common? What they both share is the name Archytas. Archytas is credited as the founder of mathematical mechanics and invented the first autonomous flying machine of antiquity, known as the flying pigeon. This steam-powered device resembled a bird in flight and was crafted from wood. It featured a hollow, cylindrical body with wings on the sides and smaller rear wings. The front was pointed like a bird's beak, making it highly aerodynamic for optimal flying distance and speed.

Recreation of Archytas's Pigeon — Re-Creation of Archytas's Pigeon

What connects a self-propelled wooden bird and a crater on the moon? According to Ancient High Tech:

A self-propelled device from about 360 B.C., the Pigeon, was hollow, bird-shaped, made of light-weight wood, and propelled by a jet of compressed air. When the air was released, the advance-programmed aircraft flew with astonishing accuracy more than 650 feet from one perch to another....NASA described it as 'one of the first devices to successfully employ the principles essential to rocket flight.' For this and numerous other innovations, a creator on the moon, Archytas, is named in his honor.

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